What bikes would you have if you could only have three and had to actually pay for them and maintain them? The perfect real world fleet.

What five bikes would you have if money and time were no object? The perfect dream fleet.

If I could have only one bike, I might choose a KTM 625SXC. Sportbikes aren't much fun at legal speeds and you can't just jump on an off-road bike and ride all day. My one bike would have to be a dual-sport, it would have to be reliable and it would have to be able to handle at least 300 miles of pavement in a day. Most of all it would have to be capable and "sporty", both on road and off. The XR650L, DRZ400 and DR650 all fit the bill but the 625SXC may be a bit more street worthy without giving up too much on the dirt. (Someone ought to let me test ride one some day )

Three bikes that I could actually afford to own? Well, with three the dual-sport could be racier, so maybe the 450/525EXC or the TE450/510. Tough choice, call it the 450EXC. The second bike would have to be able to commute as easily as it could go across the country, on any road. Japanese reliability and low cost would be a big plus. I think I'd have to pick the DL1000. Bike three? Hmmm....no real need for a MX bike so either a motard or a 600cc sportbike for the WV twisties. I'm gonna cheat a little here. CBR600RR and a 17" wheel set for the 450EXC!

The five bikes I'd own if I hit the lottery and didn't have to work? Well the first thing I'd do is tour the world on a 990 Adventurer. When I got back I'd go WERA road-racing on a CBR1000RR, run hare scrambles in senior c-class on a KTM 300XC and amateur supermoto on a CRF450R. The rest of the time I'd bar hop on my chopper cuz the chicks dig it!

Your 610 gets no love? We are gonna have to rejet that thing proper like and see what you think of it then.

One bike? Can we at least mod it a bit? I would go for your 610, or the new KTM 690 SMC, or even a DRZ SM. The DRZ can do it all, and it is slow enough to keep me from being too stupid (relatively). Don't need anything more in the mountains, it goes down dry dirt roads with out any problems, and it works fine around an SM racetrack. That covers everything I would want to do short of real dirt riding.

3? KTM 450 EXC, Aprilia SXV 450, and whichever bike I chose above. That would truly make me more than complete and offer enough cross over appeal between the 3 that I could drag my non-sm/dual sport friends out on one of the spare bikes, especially for dual sporting and SM track riding. (I have joked before that I would just have 3 DRZ SM's, so my friends could come join me on my favorite SM routes).

5? #1 would be an NCR Milona R for RR track days, the only sport type bike that moves me, I dream over dragging the length of my calf over the crest and down the hill of turn 2 at Mosport at 100+MPH on that thing. (Insert drooling smilie).

If only one bike. Thats sort of what my DR was for a while. Sort of good, cheap, reliable all arounder w/ 2 wheelsets. The new KTM 690 smc/enduro looks pretty sweet. That would be a possibility.

Three bikes. Still take the DR650 (w/ mods) or the 690smc. Would like a nice sporttouring type bike, BMW R1200GS or DL1000. The third bike might be a harder edged dualsport/motard type bike. I have never owned a two-stroke and have an odd fascination w/ them. Perhaps I'd take a KTM 300exc dualsported w/ a motard setup. Or a KX500 as a street motard of death.

Five bikes.
KTM 690smc as my all arounder.
R1200GS as my sporttourer.
Crazy KX500 street legal motard.
Sidecar rig. Whatever you can all laugh, (Ken is at least with me...). Possibly some sort of V-strom adventure touring rig. Or maybe even one of the two wheel drive Urals.
Last bike, not sure... Maybe a 70's airhead BMW. Would sort of a be a vintage, cruising around type bike.

Ural Gear-up!
BMW R1200RT (Makes it easier to go see my Mom in Michigan)
Restored '71 Triumph Bonneville (my first bike was a Tiger but I always wanted that 2nd carb!)
BMW F800GS - for adventure touring; would replace the KLR
KTM 450EXC

Top 3

Ural Gear-up!
My faithful KLR685
KTM 450EXC

Just one?

KLR - utilitarian, gets the job done, cheap

Ken
2016 EM Sport Electric Trials
2011 KTM 450 Xc-W Six Days (plated)
1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler (project)Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris

Here is my thought process.. I have the 990 for long trips - possible fire roads - two up riding - and if I practice to be like Louge, I could ride off road... It does just about everything reasonable well - if I could only own one - this would be it...

The SXC is my Motard/track/hooligan bike and for when the 620 Adv might be too much of a pig for tight crap off road - I can put the dirt wheels on it..

The 620 Adventure /Rallye Makeover - it totally RRobs fault.. I loved the trip thru Wva last year - but it was a DRAG to have to trailer as no way was I slabbing 4 hours on a dr350se - my ass isnt THAT strong... It's being setup to do traveling and exploring - and to practice taking a bigger bike (it's got a 27l tank and is not that much different in size than the 990) so that one day I can take the 990 off road...

After a few years... I figure the 620 will get replaced with something a bit less high strung - perhaps a used f800gs - a few years after that - the sxc will need to be replaced by something - who knows what will be out then....

as for the 2 others to round out the top 5.

If I had the $$ - I would like to get a Triumph Thruxton as I like the cafe racer bikes - would use for farting around locally and commuting - but I don't have the cash... Perhaps a srx-6, gb500, or a cb550 is more in line right now... If only Honda would bring the cb1100r Concept - see http://thekneeslider.com/images/hondacb1100r.jpg

The other to round out the 5 - would be a dedicated kick ass track bike... If $$ were no option - a 1098r - just to be pimp :ugeek: otherwise it would be something that could do both big and small tracks - maybe a 848 and or a Triumph Street Triple 675 - something nimble but fast enough to crank down the straights....

There is a great Peter Egan segment about this very subject in Leanings (1 or 2, can't recall at this time). He says the perfect number of machines is 5 ( but we all don't write for Cycle World, do we, Pete? )

I've been searching for the perfect One Bike for a long time. I never find it. I tried buying multiple machines that were diametrically opposed in purpose, hoping that math would add up to The One, but no. It never works. That being said, if I were to have 5 cherry picked machines (I had 5 once, but not necessarily my Dream Team), I would have to pick these (keep in mind, these are dream bikes. Some room for play here).

1. A Honda CRF450R, for exactly what it's made to do.
2. The Ducati 1098R, for exactly what it's made to do.
3. The MV Agusta Brutale, for general riding purposes.
4. The Triumph Bonneville, because it's The Triumph Bonneville.
5. The soon-to-be BMW F800GS for distance, (because I sat on the Big Beemer and my short legs were overwhelmed.)

Lots of variation there. Now if it were only 3, I would have to combine attributes... but I'll increase price, because it's for fun:

1. The Ducati Desmosedici RR - I'd make it worth about $75.00 in one day, I'm sure.
2. The Bonneville, again - for middle ground, basic riding and fun.
3. Maybe the Gear Up. A little off road, a little cruising the backroads. Plus I've always wanted a sidecar rig.

Now, The One. What to do? Would I sacrifice certain kinds of riding environments for certain bike styles, or bike styles for riding environment? I enjoy fast, I enjoy adventure. But above all, the sure thing is always a basic riding machine that will take me from A to B and places in between.

So,

1. The Triumph Bonneville. Rain or shine, 10 miles or 1000.

There are a lot of oldre machines I would love to add to these lists as well, but that could go on all day. I'm well on my way to a fine collection with my current 2 anyway. The 999 is a dream bike to me, and the DRZ does it's job well for the time being. I am looking for a standard now (an old CB750 or the like) to add. One day :mrgreen:

Ken
2016 EM Sport Electric Trials
2011 KTM 450 Xc-W Six Days (plated)
1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler (project)Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris